


Dangandori! Band Crazy Chaos!

by MilkshakesandMistakes



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game), Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Danganronpa AU, F/F, Love Triangle, Misaki is protag, Ships updated as they get relevant, enjoy reading because this is hella fun to write, my smol beans are dying what have i done, past tense or present tense? idk, please comment we enjoy reading comments, what point of view is this in? who knows
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-04-27 23:29:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14436495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilkshakesandMistakes/pseuds/MilkshakesandMistakes
Summary: What happens when the bands in Bandori! Girls' Band Party! are thrown into a killing game to fight for their lives?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Betarimi and takamoriaiko on Instagram. We decided to team up to explore this idea since we thought it was pretty interesting. There may be some writing mistakes, since we are still amateurs, so please bear with us as we get better over time. Also still a work in progress, so chapters may take some time to be put out. We take constructive criticism in the comments, and we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoy writing it!

“Ugh, why does my head hurt so badly,” Misaki murmured to herself groggily. “It feels like I smashed it into a rock. Where am I anyway?”

Misaki sleepily took in her surroundings. She was in a huge, soft, king-sized bed, with silk sheets and satin pillowcases. There was a flat screen tv in the corner of the room, a lamp on a bedside table, and a small smartphone on that table. She was heavily confused as to why she was there.

“What's this phone for? Where's my phone?” Nothing made much sense to Misaki at this point.

She took the phone on the table and turned it on.

 _Hotel Getaway Handbook,_ the screen read.

Misaki read out loud, “Welcome to the Fatal Hotel Getaway! Since you are probably very confused by now, here's what is happening: you are in a killing game with 24 other girls, all in bands just like you. What is a killing game? It means that your ticket out of here is to kill someone _and_ get away with it,” Misaki had turned pale, and her hand was very shaky, but she read on. “To find a murderer, a class trial will be held after an investigation period. After you all have talked it out, there will be a vote. Correctly accused the blackened, and they will be executed! However, if you wrongly accuse the murderer, everyone except the blackened will be executed, and the murderer will be released! So, be careful, don't mess up, and have lots of fun! Ufufufu~”

“This has to be a joke. No one could ever be so horrible to put innocent people up to this!” Misaki was terrified. If this was real, her life was in danger of being taken away, and when she least expected.

“The other girls. Their lives are in danger too. I can't let them die!” Misaki cried.

Misaki grabbed her handbook and left her room. Outside of her room was a very nice looking hotel lobby. There were cream colored walls, and lush black carpets. Right in front of Misaki's face is a door. There is a name tag, and it says Aya.

Suddenly, the door opens, and a girl with pink hair walks out, her eyes red and puffy. It looks as if she's been crying.

“W-who are you? Are you o-one of the other girls? P-please don't kill me…” the girl sobs.

“Kill you? I could never kill anyone for the sake of this stupid game. And I'm Misaki Okusawa. Nice to meet you.” Misaki smiled.

“Aya Maruyama. I'm the lead singer of Pastel*Palettes, and my talent is the SHSL Cheerleader!” Aya’s face brightens.

“Wait, talent? SHSL?” Misaki questions.

“Yep! SHSL stands for ‘Super High-School Level’, and I'm a cheerleader. You can find it on your handbook.” Aya explains.

Misaki takes her handbook out of her sweatshirt pocket, and in bold letters it tells her everything:

**You are the SHSL Mascot.**

**“** Well, uh, I'm the SHSL Mascot. I wear a costume every time I'm on stage, so I guess it makes sense. By the way, I'm a DJ for my band.”

“Nice. Well, I've got to see if the other girls are okay. I'm really worried about them…” Aya looked nervous.

“We can go together. You know, for safety.” Misaki tried to calm Aya down.

“Sure. I would like that.” Aya smiled, and it seemed like she was calmer.

Misaki and her new friend walked down the fancy hallway, and they find three elevators. The elevator in the middle looks larger than the ones on its sides, and Misaki concludes that it is a freight elevator. Misaki pushes the down button, and the doors on the left open immediately. Inside is a girl with short blue hair, the ends of it braided. She shrieks with happiness as she sees Aya.

“Aya! Oh my god, I thought I wouldn't have anyone in this horrible game!” she cries.

Aya screams with happiness and runs toward the blue-haired girl to hug her. “Hina! I can't believe you're here! What are you doing up here anyway?”

“Oh, I left my handbook in my room, so I just needed to grab it. Who's this girl?” Hina questions.

“Misaki Okusawa, DJ for Hello, Happy World! and SHSL Mascot. Nice to meet you, Hina.”

“The pleasure is all mine! Also, I'm the guitarist for Pastel*Palettes, and the SHSL Twin!” the two shake hands, but Misaki is slightly confused.

“Twin? You have a twin?” Misaki cocked an eyebrow without noticing.

“Yep! She's downstairs. She has long blue hair just like mine, and she's kind of stern. I love her so much though, she's the greatest person I know! You guys should go find her, she's pretty hard to miss. I'm going to go get my handbook. Nice to meet you Misaki, and see you around Aya!” Hina walks away, beaming.

“Well, I guess we have to go find her then.” Misaki sighs.

The pair walk into the elevator, and Aya presses the “G” button, for ground floor. A few seconds pass, and the elevator says “You are now at your requested floor.”

“ _Wow. They even went over-the-top for the elevator._ ” Misaki thinks to herself.

Before her is a room filled with class and grace. A chandelier made out of expensive metals, most of which Misaki couldn't name, hung on the ceiling in the center of the room. There was a set of winding stairs on the left side, in case anyone didn't want to take the elevator for whatever reason. On the right wall was a door that led to a dining hall, the place they would have all of their meals for God knows how long. On the left, there was another door that led to the ballroom, because why not? Velvet couches lined the walls, and there was a flat screen tv in every corner of the wide room. Arm chairs and loveseats were also scattered throughout the room. The most notable part about the room, perhaps, was that there were no windows. Period.

“ _This place looks like a million bucks._ ” Misaki thinks, in awe of the room.

“Hey Aya, maybe we should go look for-” But Aya was already out of the elevator. She was conversing with a group of girls, most likely her bandmates. Misaki makes her way over to them.

“Hey, Misaki! Meet my band!” Aya’s smile had shown brightly.

“Hi. I'm Misaki, DJ for Hello, Happy World! and SHSL Mascot. Nice to meet you all.”

The girl with blonde hair spoke. “Chisato Shirasagi, bassist for Pastel*Palettes and the SHSL Actress. Pleasure meeting you.” Chisato bowed.

Next, a girl with white braids spoke. “Eve Wakamiya, keyboardist for Pastel*Palettes, and SHSL Samurai! Happy to meet you!” Misaki and Eve shook hands.

A girl with brown hair and glasses was the last to speak. “Maya Yamato here! Drummer for Pastel*Palettes and SHSL Engineer! Pleased to make your acquaintance. By the way, my name is a palindrome, so the syllables are the same forwards and backwards. Ehehe~.” Maya blushed.

“ _Ma-ya Ya-ma-to. Ya-ma-to Ma-ya. Wow, it really works._ ” Misaki smiled to herself. “That's pretty cool. Well, nice to meet you all, Pastel*Palettes. I should probably go find my group too.”

“Nice to meet you too!” they said in unison.

Misaki started walk away as a girl caught her eye. She had long blonde hair, bangs that looked like they were cut by an amateur, and she seemed to be running toward her.

Before Misaki could blink, she was wrapped in a hug by the same girl.

“Misaki! I'm so glad you're here!” Misaki took another look at her face. It was the lead singer of her band, Kokoro Tsurumaki.

“Kokoro, please get off of me. I'm happy to see you too, though.” Misaki wondered where the rest of the band was.

As if Kokoro was reading Misaki’s mind, she answered her question. “The band’s in the dining hall. C’mon, let's go join them!” Kokoro said enthusiastically.

Kokoro practically dragged Misaki to the dining hall, where Kanon Matsubara, Hagumi Kitazawa, and Kaoru Seta were chatting.

“Guys, I found Misaki!” cheered Kokoro.

“Mii-kun!” Hagumi ran over to Misaki with the same intensity as Kokoro, and wrapped her in a big hug.

“Wah! Hagumi, I almost fell!”

“Sorry, Mii-kun, I was just so excited to see you again!”

Kaoru walked over coolly. “Misaki, my little kitten, I am elated to see you once more. I would've collapsed if I went another minute without you. You must follow me, and we will make it through this ordeal together.”

“Uh, nice to see you too Kaoru.” Misaki was always caught off guard when Kaoru spoke.

“Misaki, great to see you again. Between you and me, I'm not sure if I could survive these people without you.” Kanon mentioned quietly.

“I don't think I could survive these people without you either, Kanon.” Misaki smiled. “I'll be right back, guys. I want to go meet everyone else.”

“Be back soon, Misaki!” the blonde singer requested.

Misaki left the dining room and looked across the lobby. A girl with black hair with a streak of it dyed red was talking to a girl with a blue jacket. They looked like an interesting pair of friends, in Misaki's opinion. She starts toward them.

“Who are you and why are you trying to enter my conversation?” the mostly black haired girl had a rude tone in her voice.

“ _Didn't really need the attitude.”_ Misaki thought. “I'm Misaki Okusawa, DJ of Hello, Happy World! and SHSL Mascot. I only joined your conversation because I wanted to get to know who I'll be living with for who knows how long.”

“Hmm…” The girl with the red streak in her hair thought to herself. “I'm Ran Mitake. Lead singer of Afterglow and SHSL Florist. My friend over here is Moca Aoba.”

“Guitarist of Afterglow, SHSL Food Critic, and Ran’s beeeeest friend~” Moca sighed with delight.

“Please to meet you guys. Where's the rest of your band?”

As if on cue, 3 girls come walking in a group. The red haired girl seems to be trying to convince the girl with a white shirt of something, and the girl with the beige sweater is laughing with them.

“How can you like shiitake mushrooms? They're so nasty, bleh!” the big breasted girl makes a face.

“C’mon, Himari, they're not even that bad. You just need to try them again.” the red haired girl has a calm smile on her face.

“Nope, never! If it's not sweet or from the convenience store, then I don't like it! Shiitake mushrooms are just so ew!” the pink haired girl complained.

The brown haired girl finally spoke. “Hey, who's that with Ran and Moca?”

Misaki turned to look at them and said her usual greeting.

The girl sporting a black dress and denim jacket spoke at once. “Tomoe Udagawa! Drummer for Afterglow, and SHSL Taiko Drummer! Nice to meet you.”

Next was the girl complaining about mushrooms. “Himari Uehara! Bassist for Afterglow and SHSL Doll Maker. Fufu~ pleased to meet you!”

Last but not least was the girl with the beige sweater. “Tsugumi Hazawa. Keyboardist for Afterglow and SHSL Motivational Speaker. Nice to meet you.”

“You all seem like cool, level-headed people. Minus the girl complaining about mushrooms.”

“Hey! They _are_ nasty!” Himari whined.

“I'm going to go meet with other groups. Nice to meet all of you, Afterglow!”

“Nice to meet you too, Misaki. See you around.” Ran answered on behalf of the group.

As Misaki started walking away, the whole group started quarreling about mushrooms.

“By the way,” she called out to them, “Cilantro is worse.”

All except Himari shook their heads in disagreement, and continued their conversation.

“Misaki. Misaki, over here!” a soft voice spoke to her, and she tried to find the source. “Misaki, it's me, Rimi!”

Rimi had been Misaki’s friend since they were little. Misaki was excited to see that she had someone that wasn't in her band to go through this with.

“Rimi, hey! How's it going?” Misaki asked, forgetting the situation they were in.

“Not so well. When I woke up and read the handbook, I got so scared I fainted. Then I woke up again and pulled myself together. I hope everyone else is doing better than I am.” Rimi had a little quiver in her voice.

“Aw, Rimi. You've got me, and your band to get you through this, so it'll be alright. Besides, I doubt anyone would kill another person just to leave.” Misaki reassured her friend.

“Speaking of my band, they're in the ballroom. I was going to find them anyway, and I think you should come along.”

Rimi and Misaki walked together to the ballroom, and when Rimi opened the door, the first thing that could be heard was:

“Shut up, Kasumi!” a girl with blonde hair held up into pigtails seemed irritated.

“What? I think it's cute when you blush!” The girl with what looked like cat ears in her hair beamed.

“No, it's not! Stop saying that!” The blonde was as red as a tomato.

“You two are such opposites, ehehe.” A girl with a brown ponytail laughed.

“Hey, who's Rimi with?” a girl with dark brown, almost black hair questioned.

“This is my childhood friend, Misaki Okusawa.” Rimi introduced.

“DJ for Hello, Happy World! and SHSL Mascot. Nice to meet you guys.”

The calmest of them all spoke. “Tae Hanazono. Guitarist for Poppin’ Party, and SHSL Animal Caretaker. Pleased to meet you.”

The girl who seemed to be the energetic leader introduced herself next. “Kasumi Toyama! Lead singer of Poppin’ Party, and SHSL Luck! Awesome to be meeting you!”

The big breasted blonde spoke next. “Arisa Ichigaya. Keyboardist for Poppin’ Party, and SHSL Bonsai Artist. Good to meet you, I guess.” The keyboardist twirled her hair between her fingers.

“ _Hmm, bonsai artist? It sounds so boring but so refined at the same time._ ” Misaki thought.

The brown ponytailed girl spoke up last. “Saaya Yamabuki. Drummer for Poppin’ Party, and SHSL Baker. Nice to meet you.” Saaya smiled warmly.

“Well, I'll see you all around. Nice to meet you, Poppin’ Party.” Misaki walked away.

After all this socializing, Misaki finally remembered who she was looking for. “ _Hina’s twin. I never found her. I should probably do that now._ ”

Luckily, she was sitting on an armchair, alone. She looked as if she was lost in thought. Misaki decided to go talk to her, hoping that it wasn't personal.

“Hello. Your sister told me to come find you. I'm Misaki.” Misaki held out her hand.

“I never asked.” The more serious twin said bluntly. “But I’m Sayo. Guitarist for Roselia, the other SHSL Twin, and second string to my sister, Hina.” Sayo crossed her arms.

Misaki took her hand back. “What do you mean by ‘second string’?”

“I'd rather not talk about it to a stranger.” Sayo seemed rather distant. “Anyways, if you want someone to bother then go look for my band, Roselia. They should be around here somewhere.”

Misaki decided not to press on, and instead looked for a group of girls that she hadn't met yet. After a couple minutes of searching, 4 girls come out of a hallway where the bathroom and vending machines are located. They all had a snack of choice in hand, and were walking towards one of the many couches in the room. They sit on the couch across from Sayo.

“What's wrong Sayo? And who's this girl?” A girl with vibrant purple hair asks.

“Nothing’s wrong Ako. This is Misaki. I want her to bother you guys instead of me.” Sayo sounded mean, but classy at the same time.

“DJ for Hello, Happy World! and SHSL Mascot.”

“Ooh! Do you guys do kids’ parties? You sound like you do kids’ parties.” The same purple haired girl questioned.

“Well...yeah...but we get real gigs too.” Misaki looked embarrassed, and felt that Roselia was judging her. “ _We aren't just some kids’ band, we play for all types of people._ ”

“I'm Ako Udagawa! Drummer for Roselia, SHSL Chuuni, and dark overlord of the underworld!” She said it so casually as if it were nothing to worry about.

A quiet girl with black hair introduced herself. “Rinko Shirokane. Keyboardist for Roselia and SHSL Costume Designer. N-Nice to meet you.”

A serious girl who's presence almost felt scary, spoke next. “Yukina Minato. Lead vocalist of Roselia and SHSL Vocalist. Nice to meet you.” Yukina bowed.

“ _SHSL Vocalist? She must be really good to have that title and lead her own band._ ” Misaki wasn't too surprised though. She looked like the type to sing her heart out, and do it really well too.

A fashionable looking girl introduced herself last. “Lisa Imai! Bassist for Roselia and SHSL Gyaru! Nice to meet you!” Lisa winks and puts up a peace sign.

“It’s nice to meet you all, Roselia. I hope I can hear you guys play sometime, you all look very professional.”

“Thank you. We hope we could hear your band play sometime too, even if your name sounds like you play kids’ parties.” Yukina said with a straight face, and Ako and Lisa snickered.

Misaki starts walking back to the dining hall to go meet with her band when all of sudden, the TVs turn on by themselves. Everyone stares.

A large pink bear appears on screen. ” _Weird. I feel like I recognize it from somewhere, but I just can't figure it out._ ” Misaki tries and tries to think of it, but she just doesn't know.

“Hello! Everyone needs to go to the ballroom within the next 2 minutes, or else trouble will come to you! Ufufufufufu~”

The screen turns itself off, and all of the girls are scrambling to get to the ballroom. Misaki herself is running, just to avoid trouble.

Two minutes pass, and everyone is in the ballroom.

“Good afternoon ladies! I'm your host of this game, Michelle!” her voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard, soothing to no one's ears.

“ _Michelle? I swear I've heard that name before. Was it a friend I used to have? Or maybe it's an aunt’s name? I just can't put my finger on it.”_ Misaki wishes she knew.

“I trust that you've all read the description, huh?” all the girls nod. “What about the rules?” about half of the girls nod, and the other half doesn't do anything.

“Aw man! How can I run this game if you people won't read what I give you? At least make yourselves useful, god!” Michelle complains.

Ran spoke up. “Um, why are we here? Why are you making us play your sick little game?”

“Why? Why you ask? I'll ask a question, why do you need to know?” Michelle seemed slightly irritated. She didn't seem to like questions very much.

“I'm scared. Can I please go home?” Rimi quietly asks.

“No! At least, not unless you commit a _murder.”_ Michelle said with a sadistic tone in her voice.

“I want out! I want out now!” Himari has tears running down her face.

“Okay. Kill someone, and get away with it.” Michelle explains plainly.

“B-but, I don't want to kill anyone.” Rinko has a quiver in her voice.

“Well, I guess you can't leave then. Too bad, so sad. Speaking of killing, I've got to explain the rules to the dimwits that didn't read them. Rule #1, you can wander the hotel ground floor from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.. You are not allowed on this floor anytime between 10:05 p.m. and 6:59 a.m., or else there will be a punishment. Rule #2, when killing, you can only kill 2 people at once. Any more, and you will be punished. Rule #3, no bullying me. Personal space is a need, so you will be punished for trying to hurt me. And that’s it! So without further ado, here's your first motive!” The pink bear was finally done talking.

All of the girls had fear in their eyes, they really didn't want to kill. And Misaki was going to make sure that they all teamed up against this pink menace, and prove to her that nobody's lives are worth taking just to leave.


	2. Chapter 2

“Without further ado, it's time for your first motive!!!” The nasally voice of the pink bear echoed through the ballroom. Michelle made a big motion with her hands preparing to speak, but before she could, a harsh voice cut her off.

“This is stupid!” the voice came from Ran, the SHSL Florist, “We've only just met you and you're already playing god with our lives! How do we know you're not lying? I bet your stupid punishments or whatever don't even exist!”

“Ufufufu, would you like me to demonstrate?” Michelle's face may have been immobile, but in that moment she seemed to take on an even more menacing expression than usual.

“No! She's fine! We believe you!” Tsugumi shouted as Himari slapped a hand over a defiant Ran’s mouth. As Ran struggled to be free of her bandmates, Tomoe stepped forward.

“Actually, I'd love some proof. Ran's right. We only just woke up here and you expect us to believe that some sort of robot plush thing can actually hurt us in any way?”

“Tomoe!!” Himari hissed at her, a combination of fear and anger staining her face. 

“Ufufufu, if you insist!!!” Michelle giggled into her palm.

“Aaa!!!”

In an instant the ballroom was filled with screams. A loud tearing of wood was heard before large spikes flew up from under the ground. Tomoe was in shock as she lay in the arms of Sayo Hikawa who had pulled her back just barely in time. A small trickle of blood ran down her cheek as she stared at what was almost her final resting point.

“Tomoe!!!” Himari let go of Ran and toppled over onto Tomoe pulling her into a desperate hug. Misaki wasn't focused on Afterglow, however. She was focused on Michelle.

“Ufufufufu. UFUFUFUFU!” Michelle cackled wildly into the faces of 25 terrified girls. “You ask me why I get to play god!? I AM your god! I control your food! I control your water! I control your very life and your death! If I wanted I could collapse the ceiling and kill you all right now!! The only reason you little rats are even still here is because I thought that I would have fun watching you idiots pull each other guts out and slash each other to bits!!!”

“Stop it!!” Rimi collapsed onto the ground, her hands over her ears.

“No!!! I won't stop it!! Because I don't have to! Because I am in charge of your well-being and I do what I want!!” Michelle's voice boomed throughout the hotel. “Now, since you all cut me off before I could finish my motive, here's a new one!! Sayo may have saved Tomoe this time, but if I don't see guts by week's end, she's dead for real!!”

The next few moments were a blur to Misaki. The hall filled with screams, primarily from Afterglow. Ako ran forward yelling spit flying and mixing in with her tears. Lisa caught her and held her back to keep Ako from getting too close to Michelle. Misaki looked to Tomoe who seemed to still be in shock from almost being impaled the first time.

“Well that's all for now I guess! See you punks later! Happy killing! Ufufufufufufu~” Michelle backflipped back behind a table and was gone. 

“ _ Wait. Backflipped _ .” Misaki spun to Kokoro.

“Hey Kokoro. This is your dad's hotel right?”

“Hmm? Yeah, probably.” Kokoro tilted her head to the side and looked lost in thought “There were windows last time I was here though, so maybe not.”

“Of course.” Misaki sighed, “Well whether or not this is your dad's hotel, other seems to be set up in the same way. Do you think you could take us to an exit?”

“Sure thing!!” Kokoro leads Misaki with marching footsteps.

It was probably a long shot that Michelle would have left an unsealed exit open, but hey, don't it knock till you try it. Misaki and Kokoro quietly slipped out of the hall amidst all the commotion. They would have to deal with that later.

They walked down the hall side by side. Their footsteps were muted by the plush carpet below their shoes. Artificial lights filled crystal chandeliers, casting eerie shadows throughout the hotel. They walk until the hall opens up into a high vaulted room filled with even more gilding and crystal than the ballroom. 

“This is the west sector of the entrance wing, we're getting close” Kokoro slid her hand into Misaki's and pulled her to the left. They walk in silence until they reach a deep brown door. Kokoro comes to a sudden stop and Misaki runs into her back.

“Oof! Hey, why'd you stop?”

Kokoro turns to face Misaki, her unusually wide eyes filled with water. “Misaki? Misaki you aren't going to die are you?”

“What? Of course not Koko-”

Misaki is cut off by Kokoro giving her a sudden hug and burying her forehead into her shoulder.

“I've been trying to keep a positive attitude and keep smiling but this. This is real, isn't it?” Kokoro's voice was barely above a whisper and Misaki could feel her shoulder getting damp. “I'm supposed to bring smiles to everyone in the world but if I lost you, if I lost the other members of Hello Happy World. Misaki how can I bring a smile to everyone in the world if the only people who make me smile leave me all alone?”

Misaki was stunned. For all of her silly ideas and backflips, Kokoro had always seemed stable and mature in her own outlandish way. She may not be able to recognize Kaoru if she puts on her mask, but she always acted to make others happy, never putting herself first. It was honestly the only time Misaki had ever seen Kokoro cry, and even after everything that had happened that was honestly the part that hurt the most. Misaki could feel her heart shattering as Kokoro's broken sobs echoed through the high ceilinged entryway. 

“Kokoro,” Misaki pulled Kokoro even closer than she was lacing her fingers through Kokoro's choppy hair, “Kokoro, I promise that I will keep you and the rest of the band safe. I don't know what will happen, but I am not leaving you or any other member of Hello Happy World to face this alone.”

Kokoro only cried louder and held Misaki tighter. Misaki slowly brought them both to the ground and held Kokoro for a while, rocking her back and forth and stroking her hair. However, they were soon interrupted by a barrage of footsteps and a voice calling out, “I found them!”

Hagumi had found them. Misaki couldn't help but grin despite circumstances as she saw the remaining three members of Hello Happy World crash through the doorway all at once. Kanon assaulted them with a flurry of anxious questions as Hagumi immediately dove towards the ground to join in the floor hug. Kaoru was posing.

“Hey Hagumi.” Misaki said and the ginger threw her arms around Misaki's waist from behind.

“Mii-kun! I was so scared! We all decided to split up by band and look for a way out but you and Kokoron were gone and I thought that nasty bear did something to you and I was really scared and-” Hagumi's worry rant was cut short by a worried Kanon.

“Where on Earth have you two been?! You had Kaoru, Hagumi and I scared to death! We're in a killing game, you can't just wander off on your own without telling anyone-” It seemed as if Hagumi and Kanon were having a rant battle, as Hagumi had cut into Kanon’s mini speech.

“I thought that the bear might have come back and impaled you with the spikes, or that someone else killed you but then everyone was there, and I know that Mii-kun and Kokoron would never hurt each other, but I was afraid that maybe someone else snuck out while I wasn't looking-” Kanon had, yet again, interrupted Hagumi's rant.

“All the other girls thought that you went to find murder weapons or something. They don't know anything about you, what if they had found you before we did? Do you have any idea what could have happened-”

Finally, Kaoru spoke, also out of worry. “Are you crying little kitten?” Kaoru had made her way over from the doorway and had noticed the redness in Kokoro's eyes. She knelt down as dramatically as she could while still showing her genuine concern. Kokoro once again turned to face Misaki and buried her face into her shoulder to hide her tears from the other members of Hello Happy World.

“Kokoron? What's the matter?” Hagumi noticed Kokoro’s sadness too.

“Kokoro, what happened?” Kanon’s face had registered with worry.

Feeling Kokoro's fingers dig deeper into the cloth of her shirt, Misaki decided to answer for her. “Kokoro's just a little stressed about being in a killing game. Which, y'know, is pretty normal. She just didn't want any of us to get hurt or leave her alone.”

“What?! Kokoron, I would never leave you! And I'm the SHSL Track Star, so if anyone tries to hurt me, I can just run away!” Hagumi smiled with pride.

Kanon reached out to stroke the hair on Kokoro's back, “Nothing is going to happen to any of us. We're going to find a way out of here. Besides, we have track star Hagumi and prince Kaoru to keep us safe, and Misaki can carry you and Hagumi at once, so we're not easy targets. You also definitely don't have to worry about us killing anyone. We're Hello, Happy World! we would have to turn our backs on our fundamental ideas of spreading smiles and hope in order to kill.” 

Kokoro suddenly tackle-hugged Kanon while dragging Misaki, who still had her arms wrapped around Kokoro's waist, and Hagumi with her. Soon four of the five Hello, Happy World! members were lying on the ground in a haphazard cuddle pile, and Kaoru wasn't far behind. Kaoru slung her arm over Kanon’s back. Kanon curled up and smiled between the warmth of Kaoru at her back and Kokoro lying on her arm, head tucked under Kanon's chin. Misaki was lying directly under Hagumi who had also migrated to partially cover all the members with at least one limb. Misaki's face was unceremoniously shoved into Kokoro's hair and was breathing in rich people shampoo smell with every breath. She couldn't bring herself to be mad despite the crushing weight of a track star or hair strands in her mouth, though.

Hello, Happy World! was all smiling and happy and even if it was just for a moment, that was all that mattered to Misaki. The cuddle pile lasted more than just a few moments, however, and Misaki was beginning to wonder if Hagumi had fallen asleep, when a dark shadow passed over the group. The shadow was named Chisato Shirasagi, and she looked none too pleased about the situation she found herself in currently.

“Hello Kanon. Kaoru,” Her face got even more of a sour look when she mentioned the stage actress. “Anyway, while I see that Hello Happy hasn't made any sort of progress, the rest of us are meeting in the ballroom to discuss what we found while exploring. You should probably break up whatever this is.” Chisato gestured to the cuddle pile and smiled though it seemed forced. 

Reluctantly, the band members separated and woke up Hagumi, who did fall asleep, then followed Chisato back into the ballroom. The walk was long and the tension was high. Kanon, Chisato, and Kaoru seemed to know each other from the past. None of the trio was speaking, however, which made the rest of the group feel incredibly awkward. Well, it made Misaki feel awkward. She doubted Kokoro and Hagumi even noticed.

As they made it to the ballroom, it became immediately apparent that an argument was taking place. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Ran Mitake. If her voice hadn't given away her anger, the expression on her face would have been more than enough evidence.

“I asked if there was anyone who would want to die. It's a perfectly reasonable question given the circumstances.” Yukina Minato. Equally as angry but her fury seemed more subdued. Her statements were delivered with a straight face and a voice that didn’t rise above her normal tone. 

Ran and Yukina were barely inches apart. They stood in the middle of the ballroom surrounded by the other members of Roselia, Afterglow, and Pasupare. Ran had her fists balled at her sides and looked like she was seconds away from throwing one of them into Yukina’s face. Yukina met her angry stare dead on and showed no signs of fear. Her hands were folded behind her back and she kept straight posture, looking like a perfect lady despite the pissed off rock singer screaming in her face.

“So what? Someone volunteers to die and you just take some candelabrum and beat them to death like it's nothing? Why are you so calm about asking someone to die?!” As Ran moved forward, Yukina steps backwards. If it wasn't for their expressions and screaming, one could easily mistake them for dancing, especially as they were in the middle of a grand ballroom.

“Of course not. We would execute the volunteer quickly and painlessly and would need another volunteer to do so. The bear said that there would be punishment for the murderer after all. I'm just trying to find a solution to our predicament. It's one I thought you'd be more thankful for, considering Tomoe is a part of your band, after all.”

“Yeah, she is a part of my band, not yours! This issue doesn't even affect you, so keep your fucked up ideas to yourself!”

“Actually, seeing as Tomoe's younger sister is a part of my group, it does affect me quite a lot.”

Misaki glanced over to Ako who was crying in the corner. She was being consoled by Lisa and Tomoe herself, who seemed torn between comforting her sister and breaking up the fight between Ran and Yukina. Luckily, the other members of Afterglow had it covered, and as Ran began to lift her fist, Tsugumi Hazawa ran in between the pair.

“Hey, come on now, chill out Ran. Yukina's idea was a bad one, but she's just trying to help Tomoe. We can appreciate that much.” Her words didn't seem to calm Ran very much but she at least began to back off.

Tsugumi got up on an extremely fancy chair and began to address the group as a whole. “Guys, we all just need to take a moment and calm down. We may be strangers stuck in a killing game together, but we still need to trust each other. Fighting is what Michelle wants us to do. If we begin to hate each other instead of being friends, it will make murder that much easier.”

“Even if we get all friendly with these freaks, that bear is going to pick us off one by one, starting with Tomoe! It doesn't fucking matter if I knock Yukina's teeth out or not!” 

“It does! If we have to die here then I want us to die as we lived. Good, innocent people who can proudly say that they spread hope to the people who needed it! If that bear wants to kill us, I say so be it! I'd rather die by spikes than be killed by a friend that I betrayed!”

Tsugumi Hazawa the SHSL Motivational Speaker, of course. If there was anyone that could bring the group together, it would be her. And true to her talent, it seemed as though the crowd of band members had calmed down. Some of them were even smiling.

“Besides, we haven't even finished exploring everywhere! Hello, Happy World!, did you find anything on this floor?” Tsugumi turned to face Hello Happy.

“Um. We uh...” Misaki wasn't sure what to say. She definitely didn't want to say that they had taken a nap instead of exploring. Especially considering the fact that Ran still looked very mad.

“We didn't find anything of significance, other than a kitchen.” Chisato spoke up for the speechless band.

“ _ God bless you, Chisato Shirasagi. _ ” Misaki thanked Chisato in her head.

“Chisato! You're back!” Hina had apparently just noticed Chisato’s return and pounced on her.

“Hello again, Hina.” Chisato smiled and brushed her loud and excitable band mate off of her back.

“Shirasagi, I hadn't realized that you went off on your own.” Yukina said. She seemed tense, as if going off on your own would single handedly lead to a murder.

Chisato was completely unfazed. “Well, as I'm sure the rest of Pastel*Palettes explained, there wasn't much to see on the second floor. That's where everyone's rooms are, and not much else. And seeing as we could only investigate our own, I decided to join my friends, Kaoru and Kanon, and explore the the first floor with Hello, Happy World!.”

Misaki wasn't sure Chisato really was friends with Kaoru, but she wasn't about to blurt that out. She was surprised then, when Chisato slipped an arm around both girls and even leaned her head on Kaoru’s shoulder. 

Kaoru seemed to forget Chisato's coldness earlier, if she even noticed in the first place, and slung her own arm over Chisato. “Is it a crime if a lonely kitten yearns for company?”

Yukina was about to answer, but before she could, a force of nature named Kasumi Toyama came barreling through the door.

“Guys, there's a freaking game room on the fourth floor!” She was way too excited about that.

The other members of Poppin’ Party trailed in after her, each one in a different stage of exasperation. Before Kasumi can say anything else, Saaya steps forward.

“What Kasumi means is that the fourth floor was mostly empty, other than a large room with pool tables in it.”

“And air hockey! Don't forget air hockey!” Kasumi chimed in.

“Ooh! I love air hockey!” Kokoro pipes up.

Misaki feels like hiding her face in her hands. She makes brief eye contact with Saaya, and the two share a brief moment of solidarity before Tsugumi claps her hands very loudly to regain control of the room.

“Ok everyone, quiet down please! So, to recap, Poppin’ Party you couldn't find any signs of a way out?”

“No, sorry. The fourth floor was mostly lounging area aside from the aforementioned game room. We couldn't find any signs of windows either.” Saaya answered for her band. Arisa had taken to forcibly covering Kasumi’s mouth to keep her from talking.

“Ugh, great,” Tsugumi looked defeated. “So out of the five floors we all investigated, was there any sign of a way out?”

Most of the girls shook their heads no. Maya Yamato shoots her hand up like she's in school.

“Maya?” Tsugumi asked, seemingly confused by her formality.

“I investigated the elevator after PasuPare finished the second floor. As the SHSL Engineer I thought I may be able to fix it and let us access the higher floors. I checked the wiring, and everything seems to be in great condition. I don't think it's broken at all.” Maya adjusts her glasses before continuing, “I think that somehow, Michelle has barred us from accessing the upper floors. That means that maybe there's a way out if we can just get to a higher floor.”

“What kind of exit would be on a higher floor?” Sayo scoffs.

“I-I don't know. I just thought it might be a possibility.” Maya stammers. 

“Hey, it's not a bad idea! If Michelle doesn't want us up there, then there's gotta be a reason! Afterglow and I investigated the fifth floor. It's full of conference rooms and not much else but we may be able to make a hole in the ceiling large enough to climb through if we stand on a table!” Tsugumi’s voice rises to get the other girls on board with her idea.

Sayo seems unimpressed with Tsugumi’s idea. Next to her, Rinko timidly raises her hand.

“Yes Rinko?” Tsugumi points to the shy pianist.

“U-Um. It's not an exit or anything so maybe it doesn't matter, but o-on the third floor there's an indoor deck. It doesn't have a real window, b-but it does have an LED screen that projects a view that you could see from a window. You know, hypothetically.”

Tsugumi smiles sympathetically. It's not something that helps very much but it would be hard to tell that right to Rinko’s face.

“Well, I'm sure we'll all get homesick, and being able to see outside will be nice, even if it's fake! Thank you Rinko!”

Rinko's face brightens. Sayo looks like she wants to say something but is holding herself back for Rinko's sake.

“Alright everyone! We don't have a lot of time left before we have to be in bed according to Michelle's rules! I think we all did a great job today! We may not have an exit but we have a lead to pursue! If we continue to make progress at this pace, we'll be out of here in no time! Meeting adjourned! I guess.” Tsugumi’s confidence faltered at the end there, but overall Misaki was fairly impressed by how well she did to get the group under control.

There's only a little bit of time left before everyone has to be in their rooms, and Misaki wanted to see the indoor deck that Rinko has talked about. As she exited the ballroom, Kanon chased after her.

“Misaki, wait a moment!” She quickly catches up to the DJ and begins to walk with her.

“Hey Kanon, what's up?”

“I just wanted to clarify something. I saw you giving a weird look to Chisato earlier and I just wanted to make sure you knew that she isn't a bad person.” 

“I didn't think she was. She was just being a little mean to Kaoru.” Misaki said, thinking back to the glare Chisato gave the actress after discovering the Hello Happy Cuddle Pile.

“That's an easy mistake to make, but she loves Kaoru a lot. Really! And so do I! She can just be a bit possessive sometimes. Of both of us. I think she was probably just jealous that we were having fun together without her.”

Misaki nods. She doesn't really get it, but she wants to seem like she does, considering she's reached the elevator. Kanon seems to notice however and fumbles a bit trying to explain.

“Kanon, really it's fine. Chisato seems fine to me.” Misaki says as she presses the button for floor three.

“It's like if you saw Kokoro getting super close to Kasumi!” Kanon suddenly shouts as the doors close. “Wouldn't you get a little upset?”

“Huh? What's that supposed to mean?” Misaki’s face reddens.

Kanon, however, only giggles to herself as the doors close leaving Misaki to come up with her own interpretation.

When the elevator reaches the third floor Misaki's face was still bright red. She walks down the hall trying not to think about what Kanon had implied. She found herself at the door to the deck and opened it preparing for disappointment.

“Wow.” Misaki finds herself talking out loud. This deck was anything but a disappointment. You could barely even tell you were inside. The deck itself was made out of dark wood and had many fancy chairs covering it. There were also fake lanterns resting at periodic intervals to keep up the illusion of night time. And the sky. A beautifully clear, deep blue seemed to stretch farther than Misaki could even imagine, even though she was sure it ended only a few feet away from where she was standing. Fake clouds moved across it hiding and revealing new constellations from sight. 

Misaki walked forward and set her hands down on the railing and looked out over the fake night. It even stretched to what looked like below her forming the illusion she was suspended in space. A fake wind blew over her back and despite being more trapped than she ever had been, Misaki felt so free. And despite the fact it made her incredibly embarrassed to admit, in that moment Misaki was secretly imagining what it would be like to look out over this sky with Kokoro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if you can tell or not, but we take turns writing chapters. I (takamoriaiko) write the odds, and betarimi writes the evens. My personal favorite part was the ending, it made my heart flutter ;). Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Michelle stood on a stage with wooden floors and red curtains. “Welcome to the Michelle Theater!” Michelle's voice still hadn't gotten any easier on the ears.

Misaki stood in front of the stage, looking bewildered at what she was witnessing. “ _This place just gets more and more weird by the minute._ ” She listened on.

“So, my question is, why do they call it a cold if you get hot? I mean, no one even feels cold when they catch a cold, so what does the word ‘cold’ have to do with the disease? Medical scientists really need to check their facts.” Michelle shakes her head.

“ _What the hell?_ ” Misaki thought about what Michelle had said. “As much as I don't want to admit it, that's true. But what's so important about it?”

Michelle kept speaking. “Maybe the disease should be called ‘The Common Fever’. Or even better, ‘The Common Hot’!” Michelle let out a loud laugh, as if she just made the most funny pun in the world.

“ _That's not even funny._ ” Misaki was still lost as to what was happening, but she thought Michelle’s revelation was pretty clever.

“That's all the time we have for Michelle Theater today! Remember to wash your socks, and we'll see you next time!” Michelle waved, and everything went black.  
○●○●○●○●○

Misaki opened her eyes, expecting to see her younger sister sleeping next to her because she had a nightmare. What she found instead was an empty but comfortable bed. She looked around and realized that yesterday was not just a silly nightmare. It was real, and it was happening to her.

“ _What was with the Michelle Theater thing last night? That was really mind-blowing. Hm, I guess it was just a dream._ ” Misaki was lost in thought about the Michelle Theater, before everything came back to her.

“Oh crap! All the girls are probably eating breakfast by now. I should probably go eat with them. I think they're in the dining hall.” Misaki showers and puts on her day clothes, then she looks at her closet again.

“ _How come all of my clothes are just multiple copies of the same outfit? It seems a little weird, but maybe it doesn't matter._ ” Misaki grabs her handbook, and steps out of her room.

With the pretty prison being so detailed and upscale, Misaki stares at the carpet for a moment, thinking that black carpet isn't really normal for a hotel. Then, she makes her way to the elevator, presses the down button, and the doors on her right open. She walks in, presses the ground floor button, and waits.

“You are now at your requested floor.” The elevator voice says kindly, and Misaki leaves.

“Where could they be? I really hope nothing bad happens to them. What if they're sick? Or even worse, one of them is d-dead?!” A worried voice is rising.

“Just calm down, Hagumi. They'll be here soon. Just breathe.” A calm voice helps a now whimpering Hagumi.

Misaki walks into the dining hall, worried about Hagumi and wondering why she was so hysterical. “Hagumi? What's the matter?”

“K-Kokoron and K-Kasumi are m-missing…” Hagumi says in between sniffles. “None of us have any c-clue where they are. Th-they might be, be, DEAAAAAAAD!” Hagumi completely loses herself and sinks into hysterics. Saaya hugs Hagumi and strokes her hair, shushing her and telling her that everything will be okay.

Misaki walks over to Hagumi to comfort her. “Hagumi,” Misaki is slightly bewildered at the bawling mess Hagumi has become, because this isn't like her at all, “I’m sure they'll be here soon. They would never think to do anything bad, their hearts are too good for that.”

“And if they aren't?” Yukina chimes in. “Everyone here is scared and desperate to leave. Maybe one of them snapped, and the other was in the wrong place at the wrong time, costing her her life.” Yukina’s tone is unwavering, and Misaki feels a chill go down her spine.

“ _Nobody should be this calm about the situation. People could be dead and she’s not scared at all. What is going through her head?_ ” Misaki was lost in thought, before a shouting voice cut through her monologue.

“Why would you even think that of them?! They're innocent people, they would never even hurt a fly! Why are you so quick to guess death did it all the time?!” Ran’s voice was raised, and the room stopped to look at her.

“Ran has a point there. Every time a situation with multiple possibilities arises, your first conclusion is death. Can’t you be less pessimistic?” Tsugumi agreed.

“I’m just saying that it’s possible. You can’t assume that no one would be desperate enough to kill, you've got to be realistic. And I would appreciate if we could have a civilized debate without yelling, if you can manage.” Yukina turned to look at Ran for the last sentence, her voice unchanging. The last sentence had a condescending undertone to it, as if she thought less of Ran because her band wasn't on par with Roselia.

Moca opened her mouth to defend Ran, but before she could get a word out, two girls came bursting through the door with potato sacks filled with what sounded like coins.

“We have so much money! We’re so rich!” Kasumi ran through the room, as happy as can be.

“You get some coins! And you, you get some coins too! You're all getting coins!” Kokoro grabbed handfuls of coins from her potato sack, and threw them across the room.

“Kokoron! I was so worried about you!” Hagumi ran out of Saaya’s arms and wrapped Kokoro in a bear hug.

Misaki walks toward Kokoro, and starts speaking to her in a tone similar to an angry mother. “Where were you two? You had us all worried sick! You could've been killed, do you know that? God, Kokoro, I’m not sure if you use your head sometimes.”

“Eh? We were just in the game room. We won big on the slot machine, so Kasumi and I decided to split the money! It's all in arcade coins though. You want some?” Kokoro didn't seem to register Misaki’s anger, or she was blissfully ignoring it.

“What I want is for you to check in with at least one person before going off on your own. You can’t just leave without telling anyone Kokoro. That's how people die. Can you please do that next time?” As angry as Misaki was, she was incredibly relieved that Kokoro was safe. She wouldn't know what to do with herself if Kokoro was gone.

“Yes, Misaki.” Kokoro’s tone wasn't as upbeat with this response, as if she sensed how angry Misaki was with her.

“Good. Have you eaten?”

“No, not yet. I’m really hungry!” Kokoro's voice cheered up again.

“Saaya made pancakes for all of us. Go eat, you're not allowed to skip meals.” Misaki commanded.

“Okay!” Kokoro follows Misaki’s orders and grabs a plate, stacks multiple pancakes on top of each other, pours on some syrup, adds whipped cream, and begins eating.

Out of the corner of her eye, Misaki sees Arisa scolding Kasumi about not running off by herself.

“Huh. I guess our bands aren't very different, are they?” Misaki sighs and smiles.

Right then, Misaki’s handbook buzzes. She takes it out of her sweatshirt pocket and looks at the words displayed on the screen:  
**Free time! Go make some friends, and stop being so antisocial. :)**

Misaki wasn't too delighted by that last statement, but she decided not to let it get to her. Instead, she exits the dining hall and walks into the main lobby. She searches the room for people to talk to, and remembers how scared Aya was the day before. It just so happened to be that Aya was chatting with Lisa by the vending machine. Misaki walks over to them.

“I never realized that the way your head was tilted affected that part of it. Very interesting~” Lisa nodded approvingly.

“Yeah, it really is! Not only that, but depending on how the lighting reflects on your face, you could look like an entirely different person!” Aya sounded really excited to share this with Lisa, as if she hadn't discussed this topic with anyone in a while.

Misaki chimed in, a little confused. “Hey guys, what are you talking about?”

“We’re talking about taking the perfect selfie!” Lisa and Aya squealed at the same time.

Misaki rolled her eyes. “I’m just gonna go then. Have fun.”

“Oh, no you don't!” Lisa grabbed Misaki by the arm, and pulled her back to where she was standing before.

“Eh? Wahh-Ahhhhh! Hey, stop that!”

“While you're here, you might as well learn how to take the perfect selfie as well! Hehe~” Lisa giggled.

“Wasn't it clear that I wanted no part in this?” Misaki shook her head.

“Please, Misaki? It'll be fun, I promise.” Aya looked at Misaki with pleading eyes.

“ _Hmm. She reminds me of my little sister. I can never say no to her when she does that look._ ” Misaki sighed.

“Fine, I'll do it.”

“Yaaaay!” Lisa and Aya squealed at the same time.

“Wait a minute. Before we can take perfect selfies, we have to make ourselves look perfect too!” Lisa said.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Aya and Lisa exchanged looks, then turned to Misaki with devilish grins.

“Makeover!” Lisa and Aya shrieked in unison.

“Oh hell no. This is not what I signed up for. At all.” Misaki turned on her heel and began to walk away, but before she could get far, Aya and Lisa had already been dragging her to the bathroom.

Misaki surveyed the room. “There’s no makeup in here. Guess we can't do a makeover.” Misaki shrugged, silently pleased that she wouldn't have to get a makeover from anyone.

“Actually, there's lots in my room! I’m the SHSL Gyaru, remember? C’mon, we’re all heading to my suite!”

Before Misaki could escape, the two selfie experts dragged her up 6 flights of stairs, Misaki protesting the entire time. Finally, the trio reached Lisa’s room.

Lisa opened the door, and inside was an ungodly amount of makeup, hair accessories, and clothes. The room was almost entirely covered in pink.

“This. This is my worst nightmare.” Misaki’s eyes had widened, and she was very much in shock.

“Don't worry; we’ll make it your sweetest dream!” Aya put up a peace sign and winked, as if she were posing for some reason.

Realizing that they were far too gone, Misaki decided to let the fashionistas do what they wanted, so she could get it over with. First, they put some type of cream on her face that was slightly darker than her skin tone, and they used a brush to make it blend in with her skin. Then, they put some pink powder on her cheeks to make it look like she was blushing. After that, they made Misaki close her eyes, and put some type of red powder on her eyelids. They also put some black ink (at least, it looked like ink) on her eyelashes, and some brown pencil on her eyebrows. For the final touch, they put some pink lipstick on Misaki’s lips. The entire time, Misaki’s face was turned away from the large mirror, so she couldn't criticize their work.

“Oh, almost forgot the colored contacts!” Aya ran to the dresser to get them.

“Good grief, do you really have to change my eye color just for the sake of your picture? I think my gray eyes look just fine.”

“I agree. Your gray eyes are very beautiful. But blue eyes fit my aesthetic more. Now sit still.” Lisa explained.

“Aesthetic?” Misaki asked as Lisa finished putting the contacts on Misaki’s eyes.

“Selfies first, questions later!” Aya said, holding up a Polaroid camera.

Before Misaki could even see what she looked like, the camera flash went off. Aya took the picture from the bottom of the camera and waved it around, hoping it would dry fast.

When the picture finally dried, Misaki took a look. Lisa and Aya were naturally photogenic, but Misaki thought she looked hideous with all the makeup on her face.

“You got your selfie, now let me go.”

“Aw, just one selfie? That's no fun. We need way more. Like, at least 10.” Lisa complained.

Misaki was tired of the two’s antics, but she felt obligated to be their friend, so she went with it. After many selfies and a full can of hairspray later, everyone was worn out. Aya was half asleep on Lisa’s bed, and Lisa was putting all the pictures she took on her vanity mirror. Misaki wiped her face with makeup remover and when she was done, she tried to sneak out, but Lisa caught her when she opened the door.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Oh? I think I’m going to check out the game room.”

“Ah. Well, I just wanted to say thanks for the selfies. I never get to do this since Roselia always takes up my time, and in the downtime we have, they never want to do anything I wanna do. So thank you for having fun with me. I really appreciate it.” Lisa smiled, and Misaki felt her words, because she could relate.

“It’s no problem. Maybe we could do it again sometime.” Misaki smiled. God knows she didn’t want to put on more makeup, but she would do anything for her friends.

Misaki walked out, making sure that the door didn’t shut too loudly so Aya wouldn’t wake up. Now that she was out, she walked to the elevator and pressed the button. The doors on the left opened, and Misaki walked in. She remembered Kasumi saying the game room was on the fourth floor, so she pressed that button. The elevator went down, and Misaki stepped out when the elevator said its catchphrase. She made her way to the game room.

It was a pretty big room. There were multiple pool tables, air hockey (as Kasumi mentioned), two slot machines, a few old-school arcade games, and a round table that was huge. There was also a closet. Misaki walked over to the closet, opened it, and found tons of board games, some she had heard of, most she had not. She closes the closet and turns around to find Kasumi at a slot machine, alone.

Misaki walks toward her. “Hey Kasumi, what are you doing all by yourself?”

“What does it look like? I’m playing slots! I’ve won every time though, so it’s getting boring.” Kasumi smiled, then sighed.

“Hmmm. How about I challenge you to a game of pool? If I win, I take half of all of your coins, if you win, then you can keep them.” Misaki knew that the vending machine costed game room coins, and she could use a few snacks during these tough times. However, her chances of winning were slim to none, since: A. She was crap at pool and B. She was playing against SHSL Luck herself. She didn’t want Kasumi to be alone though.

“Alright, deal! I think I’ll take solids.” Kasumi beamed.

The girls chose their sticks and put chalk on the tips to look like they knew what they were doing, and Misaki let Kasumi break. When Misaki went, she hit one of her balls into the hole. A few turns later, and Kasumi and Misaki were at four balls each, minus the 8 ball. Kasumi was up, and she aimed. She took fire and the white ball hit the 8 ball, straight into the corner hole.

“Yaaaay! I win, win, win!!” Kasumi was elated.

“ _Eh? Does she know that she just lost?_ ” Misaki looked at Kasumi with a quizzical look.

“This means I keep my coins, right?”

“Uh, Kasumi, you just lost.”

“Wha?! But I finally hit the 8 ball! Doesn’t hitting the 8 ball mean you win?” Kasumi was shocked.

“That’s only if you’re finished hitting all of your other balls.”

“But the 8 ball is a solid, and I called solids, remember?” Kasumi refused to give up.

“The 8 ball doesn’t count as anything. Anyone can it hit, as long as they’ve hit all their other balls first.” Misaki explained.

“Aw, man. Well, I guess you can have half my coins then.” Kasumi said, defeatedly.

“Thank you. Good ga-”

“If you can catch me first! Hahahahahaha!!” Kasumi bolted out of the room.

“What? Hey, come back here! I won fair and square!” Misaki shouted, running after her.

Kasumi ran around the hallways until she found the stairwell. She opened the door and ran up, Misaki close behind. They ran and ran until Kasumi found her room, and almost shut the door on Misaki. Luckily, Misaki pushed the door open while it wasn’t completely closed, and she ran inside.

Tired, she looked around while gasping for air after all the running she did. What she saw was a goldmine. The room was filled to the brim with coins. Misaki couldn’t help but gasp when she took in the sight before her.

“Whew, that was fun! I don’t mind how much you take, I lost count myself. Just leave me with some, ok?” Kasumi smiled.

“Kasumi, how often were you on those slot machines?” Misaki asked, still in shock.

“Not for long. 12 hours maybe. Why?”

“12 hours?! That’s not healthy at all! Especially when you don’t have anyone.”

“Kokoron was with me for half the time!”

Misaki reddened slightly at the thought of Kokoro spending so much time with another girl.

“ _It's not that big of a deal, they're just friends._ " Misaki was staring blankly into space, and Kasumi had finally managed to snap her out of it.

“MISAKI!”

“Eh? Oh, sorry. How about I just take as many coins as I can carry for now, and I’ll just come back when I run out. Does that sound good?”

“Fine by me!”

“All right, nice.” Misaki took as many coins as her pockets could carry, but was stopped when she took a step toward the door.

“Hey, wait a moment!” Kasumi said.

“Hmm? What’s up?”

“It was really nice of you to play with me. Every time I try to suggest something fun with Poppin Party, Arisa or someone else always has to shut me down. I love them to bits, but they can be a little mean sometimes. That’s why I like playing with Kokoron. She’s always up for anything, no matter what. By the way, she seems to talk about you alot, only good things. I think she likes you,” Kasumi paused. “I hope the three of us can play sometime soon. Maybe tomorrow, we can play a board game!” Kasumi got excited.

Misaki smiled. “Yeah, it's not like I have any plans. Let’s do it.”

“Awesome! I’ll see you then!” Kasumi hugged Misaki, and Misaki was glad to have a new friend.

Misaki left the room and shut the door. She started to blush after hearing what Kasumi said about Kokoro.

“ _Only good things, huh?_ ” she smiled with happiness.

Misaki went back down to the ground floor to get a snack and chat with someone before dinner time. She looked at the clock on her handbook. _5:40_ , it read. Everyone had to be in the dining hall by 6:30, a rule Tsugumi made for the sake of no one being left behind.

When Misaki was at the vending machine, she saw Kaoru come out of the bathroom.

“Greetings, my little kitten. It gives me happiness to know that fate has let us cross paths again.” Kaoru said dramatically, hand on her forehead and the other on her hip.

“Oh, hello Kaoru. What have you been up to?”

“I’ve been talking to Tomoe and making sure that she’s okay. Her situation is quite fleeting, I must say.” Kaoru shook her head, and on her face was genuine worry for Tomoe.

“Ah, she has quite a problem on her hands. It’s someone else’s life or her own.” Sadness crossed Misaki’s face, and Kaoru noticed.

“Don’t you worry, my little kitten. This will end before any of these beautiful little kittens can get hurt, I’ll make sure of it,” Kaoru said with fierceness in her voice. “Also, have you crossed paths with that bear before this event? I feel that I have, though it just won’t pop into my head.”

“I think I remember her too. Maybe it’s just my brain being silly though, it happens all the time.” Misaki sighed.

“Maybe. Anywho, would you be a precious doll and get me something from the vending machine, my little kitten?” Kaoru asked.

“Uh, sure. What do you want?”

“Some fruit snacks.” Kaoru mumbled quietly so no one could hear.

“Some what? Speak up, I can’t hear you.”

“Some fruit snacks,” Kaoru said a little louder. “I can’t let anyone hear me.”

“Okay, but why?” Misaki asked while punching the letter-number combination for the fruit snacks.

“They aren’t fleeting enough.” Kaoru said disappointedly.

“When will you learn that you should just be yourself? I like normal Kaoru much better anyway.

“Normal Kaoru isn’t as fleeting and mature as charming Kaoru.” Kaoru said coolly.

After more small talk with Kaoru, Misaki heard Tsugumi shout from the dining hall.

“Dinner time guys! Saaya and Hagumi made it, so it’s ought to be tasty!” Tsugumi waved her hands so everyone could see her.

Once everyone filed into the dining hall, Misaki felt that something was missing, but she didn’t say anything. While Himari and Tomoe helped serve food, Misaki found Rimi, alone in the middle of the room.

“Rimi, what’s wrong?” Misaki questioned.

“I’m not very hungry. Since finding out that people are supposed to die in this game, I haven’t wanted to eat anything.” Rimi said gloomily.

“You’ll feel better if you eat though.”

“I don’t think so. My stomach really hurts, and I think anything that goes down will come right back up.” Rimi explained her pain.

“You should go rest then. When you wake up, you should eat if it’s not too late. You’ll be alright.”

“Thanks for helping, Misaki. You’re such a good friend, it really means a lot.” Rimi smiled.

“Don’t mention it.” Misaki smiled with her.

Misaki walked with Rimi out the dining hall, but was stopped before they could exit.

“Where are you two going?” Tae asked.

“Rimi isn’t feeling well, so I’m walking her back to her room. Is that okay?” Misaki spoke up.

“I can take care of her, just go eat.” Tae insisted, and Misaki stepped back to eat. Tae and Rimi started off, and Rimi seemed overjoyed to be with Tae.

Misaki helped herself to a plate of chicken pot pie. At the first bite, she thought she was in heaven.

“ _Haaaaah, so good. I knew Saaya was the SHSL Baker, but Hagumi works at her parents’ meat shop. That must be why the chicken is so juicy. I have to give my thanks later._ ” Misaki’s eyes were closed and she was smiling, but those thoughts were shattered when she heard a scream and a thud.

Everyone looked around and started murmuring, but Misaki was so worried she ran toward the source of the sounds without thinking. They came from by the elevator. Sure enough, Rimi was on the floor, unresponsive. Misaki turned to find out why, and there it was. The freight elevator was open for some reason, but it was the sight inside it that moved even cool and collected Tae to tears. There was a body. Lifeless, unmoving. There was a bloody potato sack on its head. Misaki did the honor of removing the sack from the head, her hand shaking, and right as she did that, the multiple TVs in the lobby turned on.

*bing, bong, ding, dong* Michelle’s voice was unusually cheery. “A body has been discovered!”

And there she was. The body of Kasumi Toyama, SHSL Luck and lead vocalist for Poppin Party, dead on the freight elevator, blood on her head and the potato sack that now sat beside her.  
Misaki broke down into tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry that this took so long to put out, but I hope it was worth it. Look forward to the next chapter! Such an intense ending.


End file.
